Public Transports are Stressful

This is why I think riding public transports, from home to school and vice versa, are stressful. I'll tell you a story recounting my personal experiences.

I usually commute from home to school and vice versa. I never commuted when I was in high school. The “stupidity” of most people I encounter along the way totally irks me. Maybe because public transportations are tiring, especially if you have to take five rides from home to school and vice versa.

I usually call the hotline where some tricycle would pick me up. The tricycle would pick me up from their station to our house. Upon calling, the supervisor of the station would ask the lot number and the street. I just can't seem to pronounce the word “four” clearly from the other end of the line. It's totally annoying when the supervisor would ask me up to five times until I'm almost shouting at the phone. “24 Banahaw po! Twenty FOUR, FOUR po! FOUR!” It's even more annoying when the tricycle driver would miss our house. “HOI, andito bahay po namin oh!” The lot number is already embossed in our gate and they still fail to see it.

The tricycle would only reach the station again. That's where he'll drop me. From the station, I'll ride another tricycle again from the waiting shed nearby. Until now, I just couldn't understand why some tricycles CHOOSE their passengers. “Bakit pa sila dadaan dito 'pag ayaw naman nilang mamick-up ng pasahero?” This totally irks me. Why would they have to bother passing that area/route (there are actually other routes) if they won't even consider picking some passengers along the way? Of course there are other public transportations in that area but jeeps are usually jam-packed inside. When I have no choice, I choose the jeep. “Shit! Siksikan na naman!”

I usually get off at the foot of the highway, Then, I usually go to the other end because that's where people wait for public transportations. The highway is rusty. And it can be muddy and smelly if it's or after it's raining. Plus there are squatters behind the foot of the highway at the other end. And people are slow-pokes. Even worse, they sometimes get in the way, talking at their phones or chatting to each other. “Bilisan niyo ngang maglakad! Alam niyo namang maraming nagmamadali eh!”, I said to myself. I don't usually shout it, for fear of getting into trouble. But sometimes, I just wanna kick these people off the highway.

I usually take a jeep from there. Whether it goes to Quiapo, Cubao, City Hall or SM North Edsa, it's fine. I usually stop along Tandang Sora after that because any jeep can pass there. At around 6 AM, some people would call passengers to “endorse” the jeep. To put it simply, they would usually call passengers to ride the jeep they have chosen. After the jeep is full, the driver would pay them afterwards. Yes, that's how they make a living. I'm not looking down at them. But I don't sympathize for them either. The annoying thing is that these people refuse to stop doing their job when the jeep driver tells them to stop eventhough the jeep is not full yet. They have the potential to delay time for two hours. “Kailangan pa kasing tumawag ng pasahero eh!” If they want some wages, why don't they find a decent job? After all, I don't think what they're doing is a job in the first place. After all, passengers can handle the situation ourselves.

Sometimes, the jeep drivers couldn't (or maybe would refuse to) consider me as a student eventhough I'm wearing my ID or wearing my Ateneo P.E. shirt. When I don't pay them the exact amount (which is currently 6 pesos), the change would be smaller than the average student's. For example, when I pay 20, they usually give a change of 12 UNLESS I'll tell them out loud I'm a student. “Estudyante po yan! May ID po akong suot-suot oh!”

Upon reaching another highway, I would go to the other end because that's also where tricycles going to Balara are waiting. I don't think I have a problem with these ones though. But the congested traffic along the way is what pisses me off. “Kuya, daan na lang kayo sa may gilid para mabilis tayong makaabot doon.”

From Balara, I would take a jeep that would pass talong Katipunan. I also don't have a problem with the jeep drivers here. But sometimes, the facilitators at the jeep station and some fellow passengers can be trying. The facilitators don't care if the passengers have enough space. They want to have the exact amount of passengers in the jeep (usually 20). Plus, the other passengers would glare down at me if I refuse to give space. “Masikip na nga eh, pinapausob mo pa ako! Pagalitan mo yung 'nakaupong bahay' diyan!” Yes, there are some inconsiderate people who refuse to give space, usually male passengers.

I can be rude if people are stupid, nit-picky, slow pokes and inconsiderate. Time delays, congested traffic and jam-packed jeeps break my patience and politeness. I'm sorry typing a lot of my complaints. Not all Ateneans have comfortable cars to ride. Some have to endure this “BS” aspects of riding public transportations. I hope I'll get used to this.

P.S.: This is the updated version of the school paper I submitted last Second Semester School Year 2008-2009.